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Complacency of Silence: Darfur
"I don't believe that anyone in the audience watching the play left the performance untouched by the suffering and destruction that the families endured. Lives were forever changed and families were shamed by the doings of others. Through the eyes of a victim, the play provides a better connectivity to understanding the struggles faced by the people of Darfur and the need to stabilize and rebuild their homeland. It made their struggle very real and personal. Congratulations on a thought provoking presentation. I hope that you are able to solicit funding to take this story on the road. "
Alice Stanley
"Aside from the powerful message of the production and the overriding theme of tragedy combined with the impact on real people and families in Darfur, “Complacency of Silence” had a powerful cast who succeeded in conveying the full gravity of life in this tiny piece of the Africa continent: something must be done. It’s very hard to combine humor with human suffering, but those moments that brought chuckles and outright laughter from the audience were necessary and welcomed. The entire ensemble is to be commended on their performances – and I came back two Sundays in a row because I knew this was more than just a play; it was a message of hope wrapped in a representation of reality in the world as it truly is. Everyone who had a role in this production has reason to be proud of their work."
Jeff Collins - KEZK/CBS Radio, St. Louis, Missouri
"It is always so easy to sum up an issue such as genocide as a tragic event that is just too difficult to fully mentally grasp. The play Complacency of Silence dismantled the Darfur crisis by attaching names, faces and strengths of a particular family. This riveting story really struck a nerve with me, but I think most importantly started a discussion I normally would not have had with my 8 year old daughter about the importance of Global issues and awareness. I think it is crucial that a play of this gravity has a chance to be exposed to all."
Sherry Holmes - Washington University
"I was very moved by the early scenes of courtship and family life--a glimpse into the daily lives of the people of Darfur. Their culture, vibrant, strong and profound, was ripped away by meaningless violence and war. They are no longer nameless, faceless refugees. Complacency of Silence illuminates a priceless culture that may be lost."
Brenda Joy Smith
"I saw the show with my husband and made him return 2 weeks later so my teenaged son could see it as well. We were all moved by the actors, dances, songs, drumming. The set itself was stark, beautiful and compelling. I cried from the very beginning onwards. I wish more people, especially high school and college students could see the play or that it could be broadcast for a wider audience. It was high quality theatre!"
Sue Mosher-Kopp
"What an achievement. Gitana Productions, Lee Patton Chiles, the actors and production staff have done an enormous service by creating and staging this wonderful play. The performance we saw was quite moving. The play sticks with you, reverberating not only with the exigency of there needing to be more decisive support for the victims but with the role of the eyewitnesses.
You have brought a lot of attention to Darfur and given St. Louis some added distinction too as a place where activism and original art join force. Prior to seeing the play, I privately thought that atrocity couldn't be dramatized as effectively as this.
The theater is always platform for the personal. Here, instead of the personal being cast purely in American terms, this theater in Middle America gave voice to people of Darfur, involving us in the complications of their lives and the ways in which outsiders to the culture intervene (or fail to). In doing this, Complacency of Silence echoes the questions in Camus' The Just Assassins of balancing morally defensible behavior with political expediency. It grapples with fundamentals of identity, loss, trauma and newness reminiscent of Angels in America. Through Complacency we are faced directly with voices of a war-torn region and the ethical questions that arise for the world from it, just as My Name is Rachel Corrie put the Middle East once again in the American theater."
Michael Kuelker - Professor of English, St. Charles Community College
Member - St. Louis Save Darfur Coalition
For more information about Complacency of Silence: Dafur visit News and Events and Photo Gallery.
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